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Some 2011 milestones and thoughts on writing

It’s that time of year to tally up old resolutions and draft new ones. I won’t dwell on the minutia: does anyone really care about how I saw a bear in the wild, made a demo of torch songs that I hid and haven’t listened to since, or powered through double diamond ski slopes? Exactly. (They were medium bunny slopes, actually.)

There are a few professional achievements I’m thankful for. The biggest is discovering a new career. Finding the guts to research and realize something had to change and leaving important people, my job, bicycle, apartment and even wardrobe behind, after moving.

Turns out, professional communications — helping amazing people and organizations tell their stories and get noticed — is what I’ve been working towards most of my adult life. The dots are finally connecting, as the late Steve Jobs said in his commencement address that I was lucky to hear in person.

One of those dots for me has always been writing. I’ve scrawled my first illustrated book about a magic sheep before I knew the full Russian alphabet (those of you Americans who complain about English grammar: Russians contend with 33 letters, tough). Later, I ditched Russian and learned English, becoming a journalist and a teacher. I’ve been inspired by hundreds of students I was fortunate to teach. Those dots were finally coming together.

I’m also proud of starting this blog and being published this year as a creative writer, which, as any writer knows, is a tad more likely than being struck by lightning. It ain’t Oprah yet, or the New Yorker, but it’s a start. Check these stories out, especially if you’re hungry: